Woman explains why she pretends to be her twin sister to grandparents in heartbreaking video

A woman has explained why she hasn't told her grandparents that her twin sister sadly passed away.

TikToker @annie_niu took to the video sharing platform where she posted a video pretending to be her twin, on the phone to her grandparents.

"POV: your twin sister passed away three years ago but you still haven't told your grandparents so now you have to call them every holiday pretending to be her," Annie wrote.

In a follow-up video, she explained why she had taken the decision not to tell her grandparents. You can watch the video below:

In the clip, she explains: "So yesterday I posted a video about how I haven't told my grandparents that my sister passed away and it's been three years.

"A lot of you don't understand, this is really common in Asian culture we try to shield the elderly from terrible news. And a lot of people are like 'they deserve to know' well they don't deserve to die and you can't guarantee that's not going to happen if you tell them.

"My grandparents basically raised me and my sister so we're very close to them and we're probably going to continuously make up excuses for why she is not visiting them."

TikTok/@annie_niu

Annie went on to explain that her sister sadly died from meningitis.

Meningitis is an infection of the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. The infection can be life-threatening if not treated quickly.

"My sister passed away from meningitis which is a rare disease [...] I dream about her almost every single night so I treat it like I am spending half of my life with her still because I see her every night."

TikTok/@annie_niu

Followers watching the video were touched by Annie's story, with one person commenting: "I’m so sorry Annie, it’s so selfless of you to do that to protect your grandparents even though it must be painful sending you so much love today."

While another said: "You still spend half of your life with her while you dream. I love this and your heart."

And a third added: "I’m Irish and we didn’t tell my grandmother when my brother died, we didn’t see a point distressing her and wanted the end of her life to be as peaceful as possible. I’m very sorry for your loss."

If you are struggling, you can find help, support and advice at Cruse Bereavement Support.

Topics: Life, TikTok

Lucy Devine

Lucy is a journalist working for Tyla. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, she has worked in both print and online and is particularly interested in fashion, food, health and women's issues. Northerner, coffee addict, says hun a lot.

@lucedevine